Key Points
Australia sends Air Vice Marshal Di Turton to Paris security talks
Russian Embassy warns of 'grave consequences' for involvement
Albanese open to potential peacekeeping mission
Bipartisan disagreement emerges on Ukraine engagement
Macron is hosting military chiefs from 30 European and NATO countries to discuss security assurances for Ukraine following a hope for a ceasefire deal.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Canberra on Monday warned of "grave consequences" if Australia joined a "coalition of the willing" proposed by the United Kingdom and France to guarantee Ukraine's security in the event of a peace deal, something Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would consider.
In a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Russian embassy in Canberra said, "For Australia, joining the so-called coalition of the willing would entail grave consequences".
"Once again, Western boots on the ground are unacceptable for Russia, and we will not remain passive observers. To those inclined to construe the above as a threat: it is not; it is a warning. Russia has no intention to harm Australians, and Canberra can easily avoid trouble by simply refraining from irresponsible adventurism in the zone of the special military operation," the statement added.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had reacted strongly to the statement, saying that the Albanese government "won't be intimidated".
Wong said Australia had "a proud tradition of supporting peace through 80 years of contributions to international peacekeeping missions," while emphasising no such mission yet existed and that no decision has been made.
"Our message to Russia is: end your illegal invasion of Ukraine. We won't be intimidated from working towards a just peace for the people of Ukraine," she stated on Monday.
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia is "open to consideration" of its involvement in any peacekeeping process in Ukraine.
Albanese's signal of openness to joining a mission created a bipartisan fissure, with Opposition Leader and Prime Ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections in Australia, Peter Dutton, arguing Europeans should do more and that Australia should focus on regional needs, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
